Image Credit: Johnny Nunez/WireImage.comIf Jay-Z calls his most thorough lyrics “black hoodie rap,” J. Cole‘s performance last night at downtown New York’s stuffy, packed SOB’s was made for black tees. Cole, Jay’s Roc Nation protege, ran through several cuts from his 2009 mixtape The Warm Up, including “Grown Simba,” “World is Empty,” and “Dollar and a Dream II.” He later pulled Talib Kweli out of the crowd to perform the Reflection Eternal lyricist’s classic “Get By.”
The show wasn’t perfect. There were several missteps. “This so did not go how I planned it in my dreams,” he quipped after his DJ experienced a few technical difficulties during his introduction. At other times he missed cues to start his verses, which he laughed off, making each gaffe less embarrassing and more endearing. The sold-out crowd rapped along as if the performance was captioned. The only song they couldn’t recite was the soulful and bouncy one he premiered, “Who Dat.” It likely will be the first single from the 25-year-old’s upcoming as-yet-titled first album.
In a fickle music industry where fans eat up new artists and quickly go on to the next one, Cole’s performance suggested that he doesn’t only have next. He’s going to be around for a while.
“Sounds like some wack-ass prom line,” he tweeted after the show. “But I’ll never forget this night.”
Are you excited to hear J. Cole’s debut album? Let us know.
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Get By is “classic”? only if you’ve never heard a rap “song” about selling crack in the hood and brothas in jail. geez, can’t rappers find anything new to write about? you’re doing music a great disservice by calling this rehashed stuff “classic”.
You obviously have never heard Get By and you obviously don’t like Hip Hop so your points are as invalid as your taste.
Get By’s lyric is about just what I described. if not, show me where I’m wrong. and if the “music” is any more than computers and drum machines, tell me I’m wrong again. and I don’t like hip-hop. 99% of it is guys who can’t write, sing or play yelling about hard times in da hood over machines. if speaking the truth about hip-hop makes my points invalid, that may be because you’re afraid to admit they’re true.
@ so n so, not sure what rap song would qualify as classic to you, but Get By was and still is a hip-hop community favorite. Perhaps you thinks it’s still too recent to qualify as a “classic”
so n so,
Just because you think it is, doesn’t make it the truth. I’m so glad you only exist on the internet for me. Have fun in your life being close-minded.
ignore my last post. It’s clear that no rap song qulaifies as a classic. Klyph is right your points are invalid, not going to say your taste since I have no idea what you like.
my fav..rapper that came out in a long time
Whether you like hip/hop or not- Talib is largely considered one of the very best. Even Jay pays homage to him. You may not like the style of music but I can assure you that Talib Kweli is one of the very best at it by making good lyrics and not relying solely on beats, etc.